Wednesday, January 29, 2014

The reporter who was threatened by the thug congressman last night evidently decided not to do anything about it. I don't get that. Someone threatens me, I'm gonna act on it. I'm gonna call the cops on him.

I haven't thrown a punch at anyone in years, but someone gets in my face to that extent...I don't know what will happen.

I come by this naturally. Way back when I was a kid, my parents gave me money and sent me out to buy athletic shoes. This was the first time I was allowed to shop by myself. The shoe store manager sold me a crap pair of shoes that didn't fit right. They weren't even the shoes I wanted or had asked for. My dad was furious. He was certain the store manager had dumped a leftover from last year's stock on me. So we went down to the shoe store. My dad stood right behind me, his beefy muscular machinist arms crossed, a war look on his face. I asked for a refund and I told the manager I wanted to buy the shoes I originally wanted. The manager never once looked at me, he was staring over my head at my dad. You know what he said? "Yes, sir. Right away, sir." The shoes I wanted, the ones that supposedly were out of stock in my size. Suddenly they were in stock. We left the store, my dad and I all smiles.

Complain, bitch, moan, make a fuss, get angry, call the cops. Otherwise, might as well be road kill, you'll get run over so much.

......................................................................
R. P. Bird: Professional writer since 1989. Author of the IN THE REALM OF THE GODS
series and the SUZIE crime novels. Crazy, but highly reliable. Can fix
about anything.

Wednesday, January 22, 2014

There are ways to fix everything, from World War II to the clogged sink in your kitchen. Today, inspired by a recent event, I've decided to explain the obvious: how to deal with a loud person or an obnoxious cell user in a movie theater.

Here's how you do it. Someone in the theater is using their cell, talking loudly, being disruptive. You don't have to do step one, you can skip directly to step two.

Ask them politely to stop.

If they don't stop, or you don't feel like confronting them, go talk to the theater manager. He will ask them to stop or he will ask them to leave. If you don't feel like going back in the theater...

...ask for a refund or a free pass. 100% of the time you'll get either one or the other.

Either way, you'll be able to enjoy the movie now.

When in an argument, try to de-escalate, DO NOT humiliate or offend the other side. Throwing popcorn at someone like you're ten years old only serves to escalate the situation.

Please note, no one should die for being childish. An adult should have a grip on his emotions and act like an adult at all times, even when confronted with childish behavior...that being said, just how many times have you seen childish, petulant behavior from an adult? So be careful, de-escalate and be polite.

There, I explained the obvious.

......................................................................
R. P. Bird: Professional writer since 1989. Author of the IN THE REALM OF THE GODS
series and the SUZIE crime novels. Crazy, but highly reliable. Can fix
about anything.